In the past individuals carrying personal electronic devices such as a cellular telephones or smart phones have been able to enter into areas where a minimum or higher level of security is desirable.
No device or procedure is known which would prevent an individual from using a personal electronic device to record images or sounds within an area where security is desired, with the exception of temporary confiscation of the personal electronic device.
A few of the many areas where security may be desirable include, but are not necessarily limited to, research and development laboratories, governmental installations, restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, or health clubs to name a few, and/or locations within a business where sensitive, confidential, and/or proprietary business information is located. In addition, in certain government facilities sensitive or secret information may be present, necessitating additional security procedures to deter or prevent unauthorized recordings by individuals.
It should be noted that cellular telephones are not the only type of personal electronic devices which may provide an individual with the capability to make an undesirable or unauthorized recording. Additional personal electronic devices may include such items as laptop computers, tablets, cameras, and/or MP3 devices to name a few.
No device or system is known which may selectively disable or disengage targeted functionality of personal electronic devices, within certain areas where a minimum or higher level of security is desirable, which also permits an individual to maintain possession of the personal electronic device.
The art referred to and/or described above is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is “prior art” with respect to this invention. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 C.F.R. § 1.56(a) exists.
All U.S. patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention, a brief description of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72.